My first job had nothing to do with medicine.
After the certificate examination, I decided to see more of the world by finding a summer job. I thought, “If I want memorable experience anyway, why don’t I go for the extreme?” Therefore, I went to a toy manufacturing company and asked for a job as a storekeeper.
The personnel manager was shocked. “Are you aware that this post involves moving really heavy objects?” I nodded timidly, more like Piglet than Hercules. Obviously, we had different views on really heavy objects. That said, the lady was very kind and offered me a job as a junior clerk instead.
My assignment turned out to be very religious. The Korean Church wanted a music box that could play all 600 songs in their hymn book. Readers with iPods would probably find it trivial. Back then, however, computer chips were quite rudimentary. Even the hard disk of my desktop computer had a smaller memory than any USB nowadays. If we recorded everything liberally, the music box would have to be bigger than a piano, hardly something the Church would buy.
Instead, my job was to translate the songs into computer language. Each song had four parts. Apart from playing all parts together, the program could also play only one part in case a choir wished to practise. The job was fun. With some tricks, I solved the problem of playing triplets (8 and 16 could not be divided by 3) and tempo change. I also figured out that if I recorded cymbals in place of organ as the basic tone, voila, we could even have percussions.
Soon, my summer holidays ended and I went back to school as usual. To my surprise, my former boss called me a few months later.
(To be continued)
17 Jan 2013
10 Jan 2013
Time Flies
As the year closed, Angela remarked how fast 2012 passed. This was hardly surprising. Many people around me said so, too.
But this is not possible. A year is a year. What has changed is our perception. While many of us cannot remember what we had for lunch 2 days ago, we can nevertheless vividly describe details of an important occasion. For example, I have no trouble recalling where we went on our first date and what we had for dessert.
Our memory clings to yard posts. We need to forget trivial matters so that we can concentrate. In the medical literature, there are reports of people who can remember almost everything they come across. Are they more successful than ordinary people? Quite the opposite. Many of them are absorbed in trivialities and are hardly functional at work.
On the other hand, if there is nothing worth remembering, a year would go by without a trace. Young kids find everything new and exciting. Their days are long. While we have passed this stage, we should not forget that life is worth living.
But this is not possible. A year is a year. What has changed is our perception. While many of us cannot remember what we had for lunch 2 days ago, we can nevertheless vividly describe details of an important occasion. For example, I have no trouble recalling where we went on our first date and what we had for dessert.
Our memory clings to yard posts. We need to forget trivial matters so that we can concentrate. In the medical literature, there are reports of people who can remember almost everything they come across. Are they more successful than ordinary people? Quite the opposite. Many of them are absorbed in trivialities and are hardly functional at work.
On the other hand, if there is nothing worth remembering, a year would go by without a trace. Young kids find everything new and exciting. Their days are long. While we have passed this stage, we should not forget that life is worth living.
3 Jan 2013
Plateau
I just finished reading Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer during the holidays.
No, it is not a book about physics. Instead, that was a story about a journalist who decided to take part in a memory contest after he interviewed some ‘mental athletes’ at one such event. During the preparation, he learned various methods to memorize words, numbers and cards. The book also reviewed the history of mnemonics and the value (or lack of value) of those techniques in the digital age.
At one point, Foer encountered something we all must have experienced before – his performance ceased to improve despite further practice. His advisor suggested him to look up literature on typing speed. When one learns typing, there is first a sharp learning curve. Most people, however, reach a plateau soon and the typing speed becomes constant. The same phenomenon occurs in almost all acquired skills such as playing musical instruments and sports.
That said, it is clear that the plateau (Foer called it OK plateau) is not an insurmountable barrier. In sports events, for example, records are broken year after year. The main reason for staying in the plateau is because our conscious performance has become automatic. After some training, we can type words without consciously thinking about it. However, it is possible to type even faster by getting feedbacks and targeting potential weaknesses, such as a few keys that are particularly slow. After that, this may turn automatic again and become our new plateau. The trick, therefore, is to have the heart and skills to improve.
Does it mean that we must fight against plateaus? Certainly not. We need to do most things automatically so that our mind is free to focus on more important areas that merit improvement. As the New Year starts, however, it is time to examine if we have allowed too many important parts of our lives stuck at the OK plateau.
No, it is not a book about physics. Instead, that was a story about a journalist who decided to take part in a memory contest after he interviewed some ‘mental athletes’ at one such event. During the preparation, he learned various methods to memorize words, numbers and cards. The book also reviewed the history of mnemonics and the value (or lack of value) of those techniques in the digital age.
At one point, Foer encountered something we all must have experienced before – his performance ceased to improve despite further practice. His advisor suggested him to look up literature on typing speed. When one learns typing, there is first a sharp learning curve. Most people, however, reach a plateau soon and the typing speed becomes constant. The same phenomenon occurs in almost all acquired skills such as playing musical instruments and sports.
That said, it is clear that the plateau (Foer called it OK plateau) is not an insurmountable barrier. In sports events, for example, records are broken year after year. The main reason for staying in the plateau is because our conscious performance has become automatic. After some training, we can type words without consciously thinking about it. However, it is possible to type even faster by getting feedbacks and targeting potential weaknesses, such as a few keys that are particularly slow. After that, this may turn automatic again and become our new plateau. The trick, therefore, is to have the heart and skills to improve.
Does it mean that we must fight against plateaus? Certainly not. We need to do most things automatically so that our mind is free to focus on more important areas that merit improvement. As the New Year starts, however, it is time to examine if we have allowed too many important parts of our lives stuck at the OK plateau.
27 Dec 2012
Christmas
We attended the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. I used to go every year as organist until I became an intern. It was simply not possible to play for the church when I had duties every Sunday.
This year, however, IK was on vacation, and the choir conductor remembered me. So I happily took up the job again.
Angela kindly went with me. When we arrived at 9:30 pm, she was taken aback that we were having a rehearsal first and the mass would only begin two and a half hours later. “This is the definition of midnight,” I explained.
To my pleasant surprise, despite the passage of over a decade, I still found quite a few familiar faces at the choir. My friends still regarded me highly. They expected me to play half of the songs without prior practice, including one that required transposition. Brahms was said to have done this before, but it was truly God’s grace that an amateur could manage it.
As I greeted my friends, I could not help noticing the trace of time. The same must have occurred to me as well. In fact, after I had given a talk on clinical research to a group of young Korean doctors earlier this year, they sincerely asked me about career development. It was then I suddenly realized that I was no longer considered as their peer.
There is always a time to move on.
This year, however, IK was on vacation, and the choir conductor remembered me. So I happily took up the job again.
Angela kindly went with me. When we arrived at 9:30 pm, she was taken aback that we were having a rehearsal first and the mass would only begin two and a half hours later. “This is the definition of midnight,” I explained.
To my pleasant surprise, despite the passage of over a decade, I still found quite a few familiar faces at the choir. My friends still regarded me highly. They expected me to play half of the songs without prior practice, including one that required transposition. Brahms was said to have done this before, but it was truly God’s grace that an amateur could manage it.
As I greeted my friends, I could not help noticing the trace of time. The same must have occurred to me as well. In fact, after I had given a talk on clinical research to a group of young Korean doctors earlier this year, they sincerely asked me about career development. It was then I suddenly realized that I was no longer considered as their peer.
There is always a time to move on.
20 Dec 2012
Freedom
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting a few young Chinese doctors at a regional symposium. I learned quite a lot about my mother country. Above all, every student is actually a member of the Communist Youth League. Previously, I thought the League was open to just a selected few who were destined to become Communists. Furthermore, all Chinese doctors I met thought us Hong Kong people overreacted during the national education scandal. “Of course it is nothing but lies,” one of them said. “The thing is we have no trouble realizing this.”
As the dinner was served, a lady cardiologist raised the issue of training and career development in China. “In some centers, the boss controls everything. If you do not get along well with him, he can easily destroy your career. One of my colleagues has very good hands and has published a few papers. But as the boss does not like him, he can now only work at the out-patient clinic and has no chance to do procedures. Surely these things don’t happen in Hong Kong, do they?” she said.
I wanted to say that I grew up lucky, but decided to switch the topic. “It is freedom,” I replied. “In Hong Kong, we at least have the freedom to choose our job. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
As the dinner was served, a lady cardiologist raised the issue of training and career development in China. “In some centers, the boss controls everything. If you do not get along well with him, he can easily destroy your career. One of my colleagues has very good hands and has published a few papers. But as the boss does not like him, he can now only work at the out-patient clinic and has no chance to do procedures. Surely these things don’t happen in Hong Kong, do they?” she said.
I wanted to say that I grew up lucky, but decided to switch the topic. “It is freedom,” I replied. “In Hong Kong, we at least have the freedom to choose our job. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
13 Dec 2012
Fittest
During a recent trip, I read The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. In one chapter, I was reminded of a principle of evolution that was commonly overlooked.
To many people, evolution is a process of survival of the fittest. Intuitively, this means selecting the best organisms. The species would only become stronger and stronger through natural selection. However, Deutsch pointed out that a successful animal does not necessarily fit best with the environment. Instead, the only aim is to win the better chance of reproduction, even if it means sacrifice.
He illustrated the point with an example. Say in a particular island, April is the best month for birds to build nests because of the climate and food availability. Now, although the majority of birds build their nests in April, some birds begin their work in March. The condition is not optimal in March, but the birds soon find that they can choose the best spots in March and can more easily find a mate. After a few generations, birds that build nests in March will be selected. The selection will continue to push the time of nest building forward until the disadvantage of working in cold weather balances out the benefit of having a head start. At this point, the species no longer fit best with the condition of the island, but they are nevertheless selected.
With this, I cannot help thinking how local toddlers are brought to attend seven extracurricular activities in a week.
To many people, evolution is a process of survival of the fittest. Intuitively, this means selecting the best organisms. The species would only become stronger and stronger through natural selection. However, Deutsch pointed out that a successful animal does not necessarily fit best with the environment. Instead, the only aim is to win the better chance of reproduction, even if it means sacrifice.
He illustrated the point with an example. Say in a particular island, April is the best month for birds to build nests because of the climate and food availability. Now, although the majority of birds build their nests in April, some birds begin their work in March. The condition is not optimal in March, but the birds soon find that they can choose the best spots in March and can more easily find a mate. After a few generations, birds that build nests in March will be selected. The selection will continue to push the time of nest building forward until the disadvantage of working in cold weather balances out the benefit of having a head start. At this point, the species no longer fit best with the condition of the island, but they are nevertheless selected.
With this, I cannot help thinking how local toddlers are brought to attend seven extracurricular activities in a week.
6 Dec 2012
Progress
For some reasons, AL became unpopular among students.
Twice a week, we hold the gastroenterology teaching round in the morning. Medical students have to present all the cases. We emphasize the development of clinical sense and insist that the students should know not only the cause of hospitalization but also the treatment and progress afterwards. This is to equip students to become competent doctors.
One morning, a student repeatedly opened and closed the case record of a patient. As the starting time of the round approached, he looked increasingly agitated and began to wander around the ward like a headless chicken. When there were just five minutes left, he pointed at AL and angrily told his classmates, “She still hasn’t seen my patient!” It turned out that AL had not had time to write in the case notes yet, and the student did not know how to present the latest progress of the patient. His classmates nodded in sympathy.
It never occurred to him that he himself could assess the patient.
Twice a week, we hold the gastroenterology teaching round in the morning. Medical students have to present all the cases. We emphasize the development of clinical sense and insist that the students should know not only the cause of hospitalization but also the treatment and progress afterwards. This is to equip students to become competent doctors.
One morning, a student repeatedly opened and closed the case record of a patient. As the starting time of the round approached, he looked increasingly agitated and began to wander around the ward like a headless chicken. When there were just five minutes left, he pointed at AL and angrily told his classmates, “She still hasn’t seen my patient!” It turned out that AL had not had time to write in the case notes yet, and the student did not know how to present the latest progress of the patient. His classmates nodded in sympathy.
It never occurred to him that he himself could assess the patient.
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